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India has one of the world’s largest rail networks, and transports roughly 25 million people daily. There are long-distance, suburban and freight trains, different classes of passenger accommodation, etc. And one should not forget that the first passenger rail journey took place in India in 1853 and covered a distance of some 21 miles between Bombay and Thane. Though I didn’t get a chance to explore the same route in the present time, I can very well relate this journey from Lonavala to Pune with that 🙂 🙂 . Can you just imagine this journey of mine back in those Victorian times? 😀

13.11.2016:

17.10 hrs – We got into an express train at the Lonavla railway station to Pune. India’s quintessential journey is still the long train ride. 25 million daily passengers travels in Indian trains watching the Indian landscape change from dry valley to lush mountain forest to lime-green rice paddies and today, I was one among those 25 million 🙂 . The train is also where you can hang out with families and other domestic travelers, learning about Indian culture the old-fashioned way – over a cup of tea, to the rhythm of rails.

While the old people share their own train stories with their grand-children, the hawkers would be busy in selling various articles right from the safety pins to books (they sells some novels too) and while the middle-aged working class would be eagerly waiting to reach their respective destinations to join their families after a hectic day back at the office, the youngsters would be busy in their own ways like watching the much happening stuff around them and chuckling, giggling with their friends and some cursing the speed of the train 🙂 😀 . So much fun!

And the best part of train journeys is that we can make some quick friends and don’t think it will just for the time-being, some can become dear for life and I have a first-hand experience in this, and that too a very good one, for the matter of fact! 🙂 . And there we were, Mythri and I indulged in a conversation with our co-passengers and during the same, a co-passenger told us that Shaniwar Wada is near to the Shivaji Nagar station and it would be better to get down there rather than traveling all the way to Pune Junction. He also added that the train would be reaching the Shivaji Nagar station faster than Pune Junction, as it would be stopped in the outer region for space on the platform.

18.20 hrs – We got down at the Shivaji Nagar station and walked towards the exit. Shaniwar Wada is very near to the railway station and there are frequent buses from here and we got into one immediately after we got out of the station and the ticket costed us only Rs. 6 each 🙂 . 18.45 hrs – The bus conductor is good enough to stop exactly at the entrance of the fort and we stepped down and thanked him 🙂 . There is a ticket counter at the entrance selling tickets for that evening’s light and music show and I am waiting for my turn!

10.05 hrs – Here we are, at the Lonavla junction! Kaka dropped us here after giving his mobile number, if we need any help and giving us some info about the places to visit as well as how to get a vehicle to go around and things like that. We bid a bye to kaka and the first thing that came to our notice are the Chikki shops around the place. As far as my eye sight goes, the only shops which I can see are the chikki shops.

Chikki is a candy made up of jaggery and peanuts usually. But people do prepare these candies with other stuff like sesame, chana dal (chick-peas) etc. And Lonavla is famous for it’s chikki. Don’t forget to buy some when you visit this place next time 🙂 . Kaka asked us to inquire with the auto-rickshaw people to go around the places and he told that usually they charge Rs. 500 to 600 for a trip. When we approached an auto driver and inquired, he asked us to pay him Rs. 1200, exactly double the amount which Kaka told us!

10.40 hrs – After a good bargain, he reduced the fare to Rs. 800 and it was only at this point of time did we realize that we are left only with Rs. 600. The next question to the driver is “Brother, are there any ATMs near by?” and the reply is “Lot of ATMs, but no cash in them” 😦 . Only then did we realize the gravity of the situation, that we were left only with Rs.600 and we still have a long way to go. So, it was decided that we would be sacrificing the plan of going around these beautiful hill-stations Khandala and Lonavla, for the sake of pumping few more bucks into our wallets 😦

11.00 hrs – We asked the auto driver about AXIS Bank, coz this is the only bank which don’t require a pass-book to withdrew money and he told us that it’s a 10 min walk from there. We walked towards the bank only to hear the answer that there was no cash available with the bank. We wanted to give a last try. If we could get some money from the ATM of State Bank of India, we would go around here or otherwise we would be heading directly to Pune. We reached the bank and there were 3 queues with some 100 people in each of them waiting for their turn either to deposit the old bank notes, or to withdraw money from the bank or from the ATM.

11.30 hrs – We too stood in the ATM queue and waited for our turn. The twist in the story was that the ATM was closed, none knows when it is going to be opened or is it going to be opened at all? It’s just a hope that it would open sometime 😀 . When inquired about the same with the security guard, he always used to show me his index finger and the middle finger! I could never understand, what it meant, I mean is it that the ATM opens at 02.00 PM or in another 2 hours! Waited for another hour in the queue till the time we got exhausted. We gave up our quest for money 😦 . Headed to a small eatery shop and ordered for some vada-pav and decided to leave to Pune!

12.45 hrs – Something clicked in Mythri’s mind. She called up her cousin to find about the Rs. 500 she has lent to him and found that he kept the same in the book in Mythri’s bag. She made a thorough search and at last found Rs. 400! Yippee!! Another Rs. 400 added to our reserve. Now the dilemma crept in. Should we bargain hard and fix the trip at a cost of Rs. 600 and save the rest for our onward journey or should we save all of it?

13.20 hrs – After having a vada-pav, my brain started to work sharp I guess 😉 :-p . I told Mythri about the plan that was running in my mind. It was to ask the auto-driver to accept our debit-card and swipe it at any one of those chikki shops or the hotels or any petrol-pumps and get the money! We were elated with our idea and headed towards the auto-junction and we found the same driver with whom we had a bargain in the morning. But to our utter disappointment he wasn’t of any help 😦 . We lost our hope again!

14.00 hrs – Mythri and I, the deadly combo will never give up so easily 😉 We found another auto-wala and when we told him that we don’t have ready cash and he can execute the idea which we had in our mind and he readily accepted. He took us to a near by hotel whose manager he knew well, but that manager turned him down 😦 . But our driver was like the King Vikram who wanted to go after the ghost Bethal 🙂 . He approached his group of drivers and somehow persuaded the leader to speak with a petrol-pump owner and finally the owner agreed to swipe our card and pay the driver 🙂

14.15 hrs – We made a payment of Rs. 700 to the driver to show us all the important places which we should visit both in Khandala and Lonavla and asked him to drop us at the railway station before 17.00 hrs as we have to catch our train to Pune! Finally, we made it 🙂 🙂

18.00 hrs – Gateway of India 🙂 . Got a chance to see this beauty with it’s lighting and all 🙂 . My day didn’t come to an end yet. I didn’t miss to catch the words that were told by the cab driver while we were going to the Siddhi Vinayak temple that had we told him, he would have brought us there passing through the Bandra – Worli Sea Link. So, we decided that our return journey would be only by passing this 🙂 . One more thing which I didn’t forget is that we are short of money and I should find an ATM with cash, thanks to Demonetization!

While walking towards the Chatraparthi Shivaji Terminus, we came across a lot of ATMs but only without any cash 😦 . After few inquiries, we came to know that the feasible thing to do is to travel to Bandra by a local and catch an Ola cab from there to Andheri routed through the Sealink. 19.30 hrs – Reached the bandra station and took the cab and asked him to execute our plan 😉 . Thanks to the Demonetization again, as there was no toll fee those days and we save few bucks 🙂 .

No pedestrians, buses and trucks are allowed on this. Only private vehicles are allowed and no one can stop on this to click photographs and if one did so, it’s sure that you will land up infront of the Mumbai Police. The 5.6 km long cable-styled bridge that crosses the Arabian Sea and links Mumbai’s suburbs with the southern part of the city is considered to be an engineering marvel. All eight lanes of the Rajiv Gandhi Sea Link (as it’s officially called) were opened to the public in March, 2010. The infrastructure is remarkable, with gigantic pillars constructed inside the sea. It is said that the steel wire used in the bridge equals the circumference of the earth.

The Sea Link is mainly to reduce the load on the Mahim Causeway, the only road connecting the western suburbs to Mumbai and save the travel time (from 40 mins to 8 mins) and improvement in environment, especially in terms of reduction in air and noise pollution in Mahim, Dadar, Prabhadevi and Worli areas of Mumbai. Now, there is a proposal for the Bandra-Versova Sea Link, a northward extension to the Worli-Bandra Sea Link, that represents the last leg of the one which starts from Nariman Point. This 9.9 km long link is to be built 900 metres into the sea.

21.30 hrs – Reached home along with fully slept Ryan and half-slept Mythri 🙂 . But the scene reversed as we entered the home. After refreshing ourselves, Mythri is the first one to sleep and Ryan and I started to grab some food. This is the time, when I realized that the much bigger Rs. 2000 note is not of much use during crisis! Think off, we ordered some pizzas from Dominos, and the bill was Rs. 800 and they are not ready to accept a new Rs. 2000 note 😦 and ultimately, we couldn’t do much other than cancelling our order 😦 . I could understand that if I need to continue on my travel I have to convert this Rs. 2000 into 100s as soon as possible.

22.00 hrs – Ryan and I started our quest for 100 rupee notes and almost went around all the shops and hotels that were there on the Sahara Airport Road, which was of no use. When we entered the last hotel which is left, luckily we could see few persons who were in possession of some 100 rupee notes and when we approached them, the only words he spoke to us were that I have to give him 20% of 2000 (i.e. 400) if I need change. After a lot of bargain, he reduced the commission percentage to 10% and I got Rupees 1800 for my 2000. We don’t have any other go, do we?

22.45 hrs – We were back in our home and I called up my cousin only to say to check for any ATMs and if we can withdraw some money. 23.00 hrs – We were off to sleep! 02.30 hrs – My cousin is back home from his night shift and woke me up to say that he didn’t find even a single ATM with cash 😦

11.00 hrs – We reached the “Gateway of India” from where we have to take a boat to the Elephanta Island, situated in the Kolaba district off the coast of Mumbai. The Gateway is more crowded than the other day. The tickets for the ferries are being sold by the ticket agents and a to and fro trip is of Rs. 180. It was only at the time of buying the tickets did we realize that we were running out of the few 100 rupees notes we are left with and made a point that we should withdraw money from some ATM after return from the Elephanta.

11.30 hrs – Caves can be dark, mysterious and, at times, frightening, but surely adventurous and a window to the eras gone by. These natural passages are also where history meets myth and legend. Elephanta caves are one of the most heard after the Ajanta and the Ellora caves in Maharashtra. And finally we were into the ferry which carries us to the island. Though we opted to sit in the deck, we dropped our plan as it was too hot that day and remember you have to pay an extra ten rupees if you want to sit there :-p . The journey was a bit boring though we get a chance to watch some giant vessels carrying out various tasks on the Arabian Sea. It took us almost 75 mins to reach the island. We bought the tickets for a toy train ride to the caves 🙂

12.40 hrs – We started walking towards the caves. There are lots of shops along the pathway selling soft drinks, snacks and food. The staircase leading to the caves is also full of vendors selling various kinds of crystals and souvenirs. Be careful if you are carrying some food or drinks as there are lots of monkeys here and they don’t mind in snatching the things that were there in your hands. The climb was tiring and we decided to have our lunch before we start going around the caves. There are many restaurants here run by private vendors and also a restaurant that is being run by the Maharashtra Tourism Dept. The dining hall is spacious and food is good here 🙂

14.00 hrs – Bought the tickets and reached the Cave 1, also known as the Great Cave known for it’s great architecture. Dating back to as early as first century BC and artistically built over a few centuries, its caves have an extraordinary appeal and aura. Nestled in the formidable Sahayadri Mountain Range, these caves have been home to monks of different religions. Most of the caves are viharas (hall) and chaityas (pillared religious caves) and showcase fine art heritage of India. A visit that will induce a sense of discovery, of the self and of the divine.

Elephanta island, located 11 km from Mumbai, have beautiful carvings, sculptures and a temple of Lord Shiva. The main cave has a 7 mt high bust of ‘Sadhasiva’ that represents three aspects of Shiva, the Creator, the Preserver and the Destroyer. It also has other forms of Shiva like the Ardhnarishwar – The ultimate union of Shiva, the Lord of the universe, with his consort, Parvati. Parvati (Shakti or Uma) is the embodiment of grace and beauty, self-sacrifice and love. Also there is the “Trimurti” idol which is said to be so unique that we can find such ones only at these islands and another one in Nepal. There are 7 caves in total, but there is not so much to see in the other caves than Cave 1. These received the status of a World Heritage Site in 1987.

16.00 hrs – We made a move towards the Canon Hill, which is like a 20 mins hike from the entrance. There is an old canon placed on top of this hill and it is said that this had been used to protect the sea from the pirates. And one can get a good view of the sea and the mountains surrounding these islands from here. Nothing more to see! 17.00 hrs – We were back in the ferry to be carried back to the Gateway of India. The return journey was more refreshing as we watched the sun set and also some sea birds strolling behind our moving ferry 🙂

The plan is to wake up at 5.30 hrs and start at 06.30 hrs, but as usual we were late 😦 It was only at 06.30 hrs we were up and only at 07.30 hrs we started. We decided to visit the Siddhi Vinayak Temple which is quite famous as almost all the rich and famous, poor and needy, actors, politicians equally visit this temple. The only hope was that it won’t be too much crowded as it is a weekend!

08.00 hrs – We are here! The temple has a tight security system and didn’t allow me to carry my camera and asked me to deposit it in a locker. Careful with these locker people, as they won’t care about the stuff. After depositing the camera, we made a move toward the inner sanctum to seek the blessings of one of the most powerful deities according to the Hindu tradition. As hoped, there wasn’t a big crowd, but it was decent. We stood in the queue and it took us around 10 mins to reach the main deity Lord Ganesha 🙂 . The central idol in the temple is of Lord Ganesha and the inner roof of the sanctum is plated with gold. There is also Lord Hanuman in the temple complex.

08.30 hrs – Breakfast time! For a change, we wanted to have our breakfast at one of the carts on the pavement. While Ryan ordered for a Masala Dosa, Mythri opted for Idli and I chose Misal Pav 🙂 .Misal Pav is one of the traditional Maharashtrian dish and also a popular Mumbai street food! This dish is almost same as that of Pav Bhaji, except that Misal is a thick spicy gravy made with mixed sprouts or moth beans. It is said to have different variants like the Puneri Misal, Kolhapuri Misal, Nagpur Misal etc. My Misal is garnished with mix farsan and served hot. The food here tasted as good as that of a good restaurant. The idlis were served hot and the masala dosa ordered by Ryan is soft, crisp and yum 🙂

09.00 hrs – Time for some juice too! We quickly had our juices from a outlet just beside the Ganesh temple and looked out for a Kaala Billi to continue our religious quest. It was in this car, an interesting thing unfolded. While we told our driver to drop us at the famous Haji Ali Dargah, the guy who is a muslim asked us whether we have visited the Mahalakshmi temple and we told him that we will do that after we are done with the Dargah. And further he was like how come you are visiting the dargah first and the temple next? Do visit the temple first as she is your deity and then visit the dargah. A perfect scenario of religious tolerance. Where else other than India can this be found?

09.20 hrs – We were dropped at the famous Mahalakshmi temple on the Bhulabhai Desai Road. History says that the temple was built around 1831 and the main goddesses in the temple are the Goddesses Mahakali, Mahalakshmi and MahaSaraswati. There weren’t so many people and we had a quick darshan and headed towards the backside of the temple from where we can watch the Arabian sea as well as the Haji Ali Shah Dargah. On our way back to the road, we also visited a small old temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and the smaller Mahalakshmi temple.

09.45 hrs – We started walking towards the Dargah as it is located just beside the temple. The mosque seems to be floating in the sea and is visited by people of all religions alike. What makes this a unique landmark in Mumbai is the pathway leading to the dargah from the main road and it is said that during the full moon and new moon days when the sea would be rough, this pathway would be covered by the sea water and it almost looks like the Dargah is inaccessible. History says that the Dargah was built in 1431 AD. Haji Ali Dargah has the tomb of the Muslim Saint Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari and also a Masjid (Mosque).

There were lots of stalls selling the chaddars (shawls), flowers and food along the pathway and lot of photographers who could give an instant Polaroid photograph of yours with the dargah near the dargah. As we entered the complex, while Ryan and I were permitted to visit the tomb, Mythri was stopped as she was wearing a sleeveless frock! The person sitting there handed over her two shawls to cover her head and legs and I too was given one to cover my head 🙂 .

The Haji Ali Dargah is made of marble and the architecture of this monument reflects the styles and patterns of Mughal and Indo-Islamic architecture. It is said to occupy 4,500 sq. meters space and is 85 feet tall. A marble courtyard with the central shrine, and the main mosque brocaded with a red and green sheet welcomes us! Artistic marble pillars, mirror work with kaleidoscopic patterns and minarets sentinel the shrine in the center, making the monument a grand sight for all. We prayed for a while and made a move out of it to continue our quest 🙂

20.15 hrs – We landed up at a restaurant in the Colaba and we wanted to try some authentic Marathi food. So Ganesh took us to one such place and we ordered some bajra rotis, tandoori rotis, Paneer Koliwada, Jeera rice and so forth. The bajra rotis were generously buttered and were served with pickled onions and some other pickles. The food tasted too good and we were satisfied 🙂

21.00 hrs – Time to go home! We walked towards the famous Chatrapathi Shivaji Terminus to catch a local train to Andheri. We clicked some photographs infront of this beautiful structure as well as the Mumbai Nagarapalika (Municipal building) and passed through one of the busiest sub-ways perhaps, which was still buzzing with people at that point of time.

The Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus, formerly known as Victoria Terminus Station, in Mumbai, is an outstanding example of Victorian Gothic Revival architecture in India, blended with themes deriving from Indian traditional architecture. The building, designed by the British architect F. W. Stevens, became the symbol of Bombay as the ‘Gothic City’ and the major international mercantile port of India. The terminal was built over 10 years, starting in 1878. It was a mix of the British, Italian architectures and Indian palace architecture and this blend became a unique style of Bombay.

We weren’t lucky today 😦 , as we couldn’t spot even a single dabbawala of Mumbai entering or leaving the station. Mumbai is famous for its Dabbawala network, which is a complex food delivery system. They collect lunches from residences and deliver them at the respective offices of the people. The legend is that this system was started in 1890, when a Parsi banker wanted home cooked food at work and this system took it’s origin. The efficiency and precision of these Dabbawalas are renowned across the world. Not to forget, Prince Charles met them during one of this trips to India and even invited some of them to his wedding to Camilla Parker Bowles in London, in 2005 🙂

Also as it was weekend, the crowd in the local train was less and we managed to get seats for ourselves. Reached home around 22.00 hrs to call it a day 🙂 . No demonetization troubles so far 😛

18.30 hrs – We started walking towards one of the most iconic monument of Mumbai, the Gateway of India. It is a world heritage site that is perpetually frequented by tourists and the locals alike. Built to commemorate George V and Queen Mary‘s visit to Mumbai, this compelling structure by the Arabian Sea is a ‘must visit’. The foundation was laid in 1911 by Sir George Sydenham Clarke, the then Governor of Bombay and the architectural design in the Indo-Saracenic style was fashioned by architect, George Wittet. The structural design of this monument is constituted of a large arch, with a height of 26 m. The monument is built in yellow basalt and indissoluble concrete.

We walked around the structure and sat on a beach to watch the Arabian Sea with boats and cruises and the tourists and locals clicking selfies or getting instant Polaroid pictures with the iconic monument, and some returning from their visit to the near by Elephanta caves. There are also those Victorian style horse-driven carriages that are available at the Gateway on which we can hop and have a joy-ride. I don’t want to try one as I already tried it at the Victoria in Kolkata 🙂 . Also adjoining the gateway is another landmark of Mumbai, the Taj Palace hotel. One says that there is an interesting story behind the construction of this hotel.

It is said that Jamshedji Tata (a pioneer Indian industrialist who founded the TATA group) built this hotel after he was refused entry to Mumbai’s grandest hotel then, the Watson’s on racial grounds (since he was not of white skin). It was then that he decided to build a hotel which would give stiff competition to the Watson’s and allow everyone (no matter what the color of the skin). The original Indian architects were Sitaram Khanderao Vaidya and D. N. Mirza, and the project was completed by an English engineer, W. A. Chambers.

This hotel has numerous elements that were a first in India then – the main dome is made from the kind of steel that was used in the construction of Eiffel Tower, it had a steam elevator, imported American fans, German elevators, Turkish baths and English butlers. And today also, it still remains one of the most grandest hotels of Mumbai. There came a new wing of this hotel called the Taj Mahal tower just beside the Taj Mahal Palace.

19.15 hrs – Time to relax! What else could be more relaxing than a cool off at the beach? After a long day of journey, shopping and sightseeing, it’s time to sit and enjoy a evening snack 🙂 . We asked the cab driver to leave us at yet another place in Mumbai that reveal its stunning coastline. It’s the Marine Drive – the ideal antidote for sore legs, watch the marine drive transform itself into the ‘Queen’s Necklace’ at night and have a seat while listening to the claiming rhythm of the sea. We walked along the promenade which was occupied by couples, friends and the evening walkers. We also took a seat and watched how the promenade arches into a semicircle of shimmering lights creating a sight that is called the ‘Queen’s Necklace’.

07.00 hrs – While the Demonetization effect is seeping into the lives of India, I was getting ready to start my masti in Maharashtra. With just a new 2000 rupee note and 10 ten rupee notes, I got into an auto rickshaw to catch the Jet Airways flight from Trivandrum to Mumbai. The practice of raising up hands if at all some one asks for extra money or change for higher denominations started from this point. Though the auto-driver switched on the meter and the bill was Rupees 98, he asked me for a hundred and twenty and I simply gave him the last 10 ten rupee notes which I had and told him if at all he needs an extra twenty he needs to give me one thousand eight hundred and eighty rupees in return. Lol! 😀 . No more arguments, the driver left without a word 😉

07.40 hrs – I was standing in a queue of two persons at the State Bank of Travancore ATM at the Domestic terminal of Trivandrum and it just took me 10 minutes to get 20 crisp hundred rupee notes and I was on cloud 9 as I have got 4000 rupees in my wallet and thought that it’s not going to be a alright in the current crisis. 09.15 – Call for boarding was given and 09.30 hrs – Boarded the flight, 09.40 hrs – The flight took off..

11.30 hrs – The flight landed at Terminal 1 of Chatrapathi Shivaji Airport of Mumbai. Just before few minutes of the landing, I could see the real life of Mumbai. The airport which is among the most classy airports in India is surrounded by a huge slum and we can get a glimpse of it throughout the landing time. And here I am – in a Cosmopolitan city, a concrete jungle which has the highest sky scrappers, a city that never sleeps – Mumbai! The airport is really classy. I had been to almost all the major airports like Delhi, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Chennai and Kolkata, but this one attracted me the most 🙂

11.45 hrs – Mythri and Ryan – my nephew, were waiting for me outside the airport and we left to my brother’s place which is in Andheri East. Mumbai is said to have been built on seven islands that were part of Portuguese territories and that the British received it as a part of dowry when in 1661 King Charles II married the Portuguese Catherine of Braganza. Mumbai stretches from north to south, and Mumbaikars call the south region ‘town’ while the northern part constitutes mostly of ‘suburbs’.

12.00 hrs – A friend of mine in Mumbai Ganesh, is going to take us around the city for the rest of the day. We quickly had our lunch and left @ 13.00 hrs to meet catch up with Ganesh at the Cotton Green Station. The Ola cab services is quick enough to pick us from our home and leave us at our destination.